In the last 20 years, modern wide-field surveys discovered a new class of peculiar transients,
which lie in the luminosity gap between standard supernovae and classical novae. These …

We present extensive datasets for a class of intermediate-luminosity optical transients
known as luminous red novae. They show double-peaked light curves, with an initial rapid …

Luminous red novae (LRNe) are astrophysical transients associated with the partial ejection
of a binary system's common envelope shortly before its merger. Here we present the results …

Some classes of stars, including novae and supernovae, undergo explosive outbursts that
eject stellar material into space. In 2002, the previously unknown variable star V838 …

This paper investigates the recent stellar-merger transient M31LRN 2015 in the Andromeda
galaxy. We analyze published optical photometry and spectroscopy along with a Hubble …

We propose that the energy source of the outburst of V838 Mon and similar objects is an
accretion event, ie, gravitational energy rather than thermonuclear runaway. We show that …

We discuss various models and scenarios proposed to explain the nature of the V838 Mon
type eruptions. In this class of eruptive objects we include: M 31 RV (erupted in 1988) …

One of the two outcomes of a common envelope (CE) event is a merger of the two stars. To
date, the best known case of a binary merger is the V1309 Sco outburst, where the orbital …

Abstract Variable Star Network (VSNET) is a global professional-amateur network of
researchers in variable stars and related objects, particularly in transient objects, such as …

We present the follow-up campaign of the luminous red nova (LRN) AT 2019zhd, the third
event of this class observed in M 31. The object was followed by several sky surveys for …